A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’ve been blogging as “Lipglossiping” for four years today, and I just wanted to take the opportunity to say “thank you”.  It’s a bit Gwyneth stylee, but with less tears and wayyy more sincerity!

To my readers.

Thank you for making me feel like what I’m writing is (more often than not) worth interrupting your day to read.  Thank you for your comments, your emails, and your friendship(s) on Twitter.  Thank you for saying nice things about my makeups.  Thank you for always being so generous in your praise of my daughter.  Thank you for being only gently disapproving when I dye my hair and it doesn’t look good, it only takes me a few months to catch up.  Thank you for clicking through my affiliate links and spending your money on my recommendations, I hope I don’t let you down very often.  Thank you for not unsubscribing when I’m supposed to be a beauty blogger but all I really want to blog about is my dinner that day.  Thank you for keeping me on my toes by reminding me that some of you are far more knowledgeable about the things I write than I could ever be.  Thank you for keeping my feet on the ground and for making me feel as though we’re all in the same room, at the same level.  Thank you for the holiday tips.  Thank you for never trolling me.  Thank you for the conversations about PCOS and never making me feel ashamed for (over)sharing.

To my peers. 

Thank you for the laughter at events.  Thank you for reminding me what it’s like to go on a school trip.  Thank you for girly sleepovers that I should be far too old for.  Thank you for a shared excitement in something so superficial.  Thank you for some of the best bitching I’ve ever taken part in.  Thank you for waiting for me so I don’t have to walk into a room of strangers on my own.  Thank you for running for my train with me.  Thank you for licking that canape.  Thank you for being both infuriating and inspiring.  Thank you for being there late at night to talk to.  Thank you for making me wish you lived a little bit nearer.  Thank you for not taking yourselves too seriously (and for tsking with me at those who do).  Thank you for being the kind of people I can simply pick up with where we left off.  Thank you for lusting over the same products as me.  Thank you for keeping in touch even after you fall out of love with blogging.  Thank you for still feeling totally embarrassed to admit that you’re “a blogger” to strangers.  Thank you for doing this for the right reasons.  Thank you for not blowing out my candle to make your own burn brighter.

To the industry people.

Thank you for sending me pretty things to try.  Thank you for not blacklisting me if I don’t get around to blogging about things in a super-timely manner.  Thank you for understanding when I don’t love your stuffs.  Thank you for checking the blog when I forget to send links through.  Thank you for inviting me to places I would never have had the chance to visit.  Thank you for continuing to invite me even though I can’t get in to London much now.  Thank you for not asking me why the email I sent you was time-stamped 3am.  Thank you for not being Mean Girls (mostly).  Thank you for treating my readers to some amazing giveaways.  Thank you for not always looking over my shoulder at the next person through the door, I appreciate a delicate balancing act when I see one.  Thank you for letting me bore you about how much I love/hate blogging.  Thank you for paying me to write things for your sites/blogs/facebooks.

To my husband.

Thank you for not making me get a job at the Co-Op instead.

I hope that I’ve got four more years of this in me, although I may have to lighten up on the FOTDs as the wrinkles set in 😉

FANKS EVERYONE IN THE WORLD EVER.

There seems to be lots of blogiversaries about at the minute!  Well, just to throw another one into the mix, I wrote my first post on Lipglossiping.com TWO years ago today.  It feels like a WHOLE lifetime ago.

For once in my life, I’m not gonna take the opportunity to waffle on about what blogging means to me.  Suffice to say, I’m a little bit addicted to it.

Thank you for still being here with me.  I hope we’re all a bit prettier than we were 730 days ago 😉

x

Lipglossiping.com is a year old today!

12 months ago I was bored and very, very pregnant.  Boredom and pregnancy have a lot to answer for, both have gone on to create little monsters that consume me.

I wish I’d started Lipglossiping back when I had more time to devote to it.  As it is, I sneak a couple of hours in the evening after Miss L has gone to sleep to get the next day’s posts scheduled.  If I had more time, I’d reply to your emails promptly, comment on other people’s blogs instead of just doing a “read and run” and I’d definitely respond to the lovely comments you leave here on mine more often.

That’s my biggest sadness.  If I *ever* don’t respond to something that you were wanting an answer to, please email me… I’m honestly not being ignorant… I’ve just missed it.  Or more likely, filed it away in a “make sure you reply when you’ve finished doing such and such…” and then promptly forgotten to do so.

But anyway…. onto happier things!  At my last stats stalk (ooh about 46 seconds ago – traffic whore? Moi?) Lipglossiping was averaging 33,000 unique and lovely visitors a month.  I don’t have enough fingers to count that high, but it sounds like a lot to me.  I’m not sure where you all came from, but I’m pleased you keep stopping by.

It makes me suddenly aware though that those ugly FOTD’s I uploaded a year ago when it was only me, my husband and my mum who stalked my blog leave me feeling rather naked.  But, as twatty as it sounds… keeping it real is what I want this blog to be all about.  I’m no Make Up Artist, Journalist or Guru.  I’m a girl with a fuck-off passion for making herself look better than the first thing she sees when she looks in the mirror.  I’m a girl who feels intimidated by astonishingly beautiful women (but admires them all the same) and I’m a girl who has a tendency to bore you to death if you don’t share my loves.

Thankfully, most of you do.

I’ve been asked “How do you post so much, don’t you find it a bit of a chore?”

Each day I wake up excited to check my comments and every night before sleep I think about what I’m going to write about the next day.  When the time comes that I no longer feel a buzz of excitement when I hit the ‘schedule’ or ‘publish’ button, that’s the day that I need to stop.  I’m hoping it’s still a long time off yet.

It’s a true privilege to be read and taken notice of, and one that I don’t take for granted.  Brand involvement in the blogging world has gotten heavy (not just in beauty… but most consumer ‘genres’) and it continues to be a volatile environment.  There’s a lot of mistrust, jealousy and false lovey-ness… it’s the flip-side to the opportunity to play with free makeup, make fabulous new blogging friends and eat cupcakes at events.  I focus a lot of energy into walking the tightrope and being as fair and honest as I can.  After all, I know you guys see through a PR puppet quicker than you can spot a fake MAC on eBay.

I had a well-known brand email me a month ago and their email ended:

“Once again thank you (even though sometimes we have to read the reviews through the gaps in our fingers whilst shielding our eyes from the criticism – all constructive of course!).”

Honestly? One of my proudest blogging moments.

Keep coming back chaps, I think I probably need you more than you need me.

Ahhhh… I remember it like it was only last month…

Let’s talk Brows… – Monday, March 1st, 2010

They’re kind of a big deal.

It’s a substantial thing to grow hair on your face.  Billions of pounds go into the development of products designed to remove facial hair, but I’m not sure we invest so much time and effort in cultivating the hair we want to keep.

Mine are a complete and shameful mess.  I’ve overplucked some areas and I continue to underpluck others…  I have a great natural arch, but no idea how to make the best of it.  Infact, I’ve managed to create total unevenness to the point where I look like I’m permanently raising one of my eyebrows when in reality, I’m not moving a muscle.

Brow powder is my makeup bag essential.  I’ll happily hit the supermarket without a scrap of colour or foundation on my face, but take away my brow powder and I’ll be walking around wih my hands self-consciously hovering near my forehead in an attempt to cover up the offending area.  Eyebrows, for me… are face framers, and KNOW that everytime I see a FOTD – I’m checking out those brows before ANYTHING else.

Obviously, this post is mostly an excuse for me to trawl the internet laughing at celebrities with dodgy eyebrows, but there is a serious message here.  Tweezers are a dangerous implement and I’m not letting Leila near a pair.  As God (or you guys)  is my witness, I’m marching her to a salon when she hits 15.  This house will be a tweezerless one.

I wish mine had been…

What a mess.  I’m a (relatively) intelligent woman who clearly lost control of all mental capabilities when my grasping fingers first touched those tweezers 13 years ago and quite frankly, I haven’t regained them.

I need help, I know that some of my lovely readers MUST be brow experts!  I see so many women with perfectly groomed eyebrows and I’m considering befriending the next one I see in Waitrose, lulling her into a false sense of security with hazelnut lattes and Heat magazine chats before slyly handing her my tweezermans and giving her carte blanche on my face.

Do you feel my pain or mock my affliction?

Where can I go from here?  Professional help?  Hands tying behind my back?  Hair transplants?  Threading?

Halp?!

I bemoaned my lack of a great red…

The Perfect Red. – Monday, March 15th, 2010

It’s Monday morning and I’m feeling gloomy…

Cheer me up, I wanna talk about the classic red lip.

I struggle.  I have too much pink in my skintone and am forever clashing.  Failing that, I catch sight of myself walking past an office window and suddenly realise that the Hamburgler is probably after my Big Macs.

Can you pull off a great red lip?  Do you even like red lips?

and I found a rather lovely polish in my collection…

Mavala Miami Nail Polish NOTD – Monday, March 8th, 2010

The lovely liloo is in search of a potential nail polish delight.  She’s looking for a wearable (ie. not too bright or shocking) blue-based pink.  Think MAC Snob in a bottle.

I’ve been through my collection and can’t find anything suitable.  This was the nearest.

I picked Mavala Miami up when I raided the Debenhams sale last summer, it is blue based… perhaps not strongly enough to fit in the ‘Snob’ category, but it’s getting there.

As for my polish requirements.  I LOVE it. It’s pink and girly, but stops short of being sugary thanks to it’s definite brightness.  I feel all summery wearing it and I may even have to reapply before moving on to another shade (high praise indeed!).

Application was tremendous.  3 easy, easy coats achieved a perfect finish, but as with a lot of Mavala’s, it doesn’t quite have the high-gloss finish I love, so I added a top-coat to get that glass-like sheen.  Longevity is average, a bit of tip wear towards the end of the 2nd day, but it’s not too noticeable thanks to the forgiving shade.

I’m really pleased I picked this Mavala Miami shade up and I may have to start dragging myself into some more spring/summer-like shades!

Anyone have any nail polish “Snob” suggestions for Liloo?

After much hesitation, I finally did it… I fake tanned.  First time I’ve ever really done a proper one too… I was pretty chuffed with the results!

Xen-Tan Transform Luxe Self-Tan – Sunday, February 14th, 2010

I was sent a tube of this to try after I couldn’t fit in a proper salon tan job on my last London visit.  I’ve bored you all senseless MANY times moaning about my uber paleness.  I know that pale is kinda ‘in’, but that’s porcelain pale… smooth creamy ivory skin. Which, I don’t have.

I have blue pale.  Blue pale with red blotches.  Combine that with bingo wings and you have some sexy upper arms right there.

Having said that, I’m scared of anything that darkens my skin.  Bronzer, fake tan, eating chocolate biscuits without a plate… soooo I’ve kinda put off using this.  Every time I went to crack it open, I’d remember some important thing I had to do in the next few days and screwed the lid back on terrified of appearing in public looking like a satsuma.

Well, I couldn’t put it off any longer. ‘Cos I have nothing to do for about a week. Enough time for any hideosity to fade if something went wrong.

Xen Tan is widely regarded as one of the best faux tanners on the market (don’t you prefer the word ‘faux’ to ‘fake’?), The manufacturer’s say:

Transform has been developed especially for today’s growing gradual tan market, giving the same delicious daily dose of moisture you’ve come to expect from Xen-Tan but with an extra boost of tanning ingredient to deliver a silky smooth olive glow. With a wonderful fresh vanilla scent, its advanced formula means fewer applications are needed. Apply just like an everyday moisturiser for sun-kissed skin that’s streak-free, sumptuously soft and never ever orange.

Can’t go wrong then can I?….

I did it. I grabbed the bull by the horns, or the um bottle by the lid and just. did. it.  I’d bought a tanning mitt in preparation and used that to apply.

The cream goes on smoothly and does feel quite moisturising.  The scent is heavenly!  True vanilla with no biscuits in sight!

I finished in less than 10 minutes and washed my hands like I was supposed to.  Unfortunately, I then forgot to apply he stuff to the back of my hands after washing them (what a n00b).  It’s ok though, it just means you guys get to see how natural and un-orange the colour is on me.

I went to bed slightly sticky, but still smelling full on like a tasty vanilla pod.  I woke up, bronzed, gorgeous healthy looking and stinking of a 1 year old hob nob.  I jumped in the shower and emerged all clean-smelling again!

I love the tan.  It’s a beautiful golden olive tone with no hint of orange.  I keep catching sight of myself in the mirror (oh ok, *looking* at myself) and it seems very strange not to see a big pasty face looking back at me.  I really look about a 100% healthier.

I need to get this application malarky down.  For a first attempt, I’m happy.  I exfoliated and moisturised the day before tanning and that seemed to work well to avoid dirty looking knees and elbows (Thanks to Saskia for the tanning tips!).

I think I’ve shamed myself enough this week with my dodgy hair… but… here, have a pic of a bad tan line.

I dunno what’s with the perfect v… but anyway, the photo is more to demonstrate the lovely shade of tan I am rather than my inability to remember simple bloody instructions.  And incase you were wondering, I’ve worn foundation on my hand today to minimize my mark of stupidity.

See, S.M.U.G

I was nervous putting it on my face, really nervous!  I waited till the mitt had a small even covering of cream and I don’t think I used very much at all.  Infact, for the most part I think I over applied.. considering how little product I applied to my face and how even it’s come out, I probably need to use about 1/2 of the product that I initially applied to achieve a good result.

I’m so happy with Xen-Tan and I’ve shocked myself by how good a job I’ve made of it (forgetting the hands for a moment) there are no streaks, blobs or any other tell tale signs of tanning fakery.  I may well become a bit of a tan addict, although I’m intrinsically LAZY, and self-tanning takes dedication.  Regardless, I’ll be buying a bottle of this for the summer!

Xen-Tan Transform LUXE is £23.95 for 236ml.

Xen-Tan is available from Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser stores or visit www.xen-tan.co.uk

…and I shared a nifty way to avoid glitter-nail-polish-removal-rage:

The tin foil trick… – Sunday, February 7th, 2010

…for easy glitter nail polish removal.

No more endless wiping and scraping to get the glitter polish off your nails.  No more sighing and soaking of fingers in pure acetone till your cuticles shrivel up and you develop hang nails that reach your elbows.

At least, that’s what 2 of my lovely readers promised.  Meganne, and Lisa – to give credit where it’s due.

so it goes something like this…

1). Take your cotton wool and dampen it with nail polish remover.  I like to make it quite soggy… I don’t wanna have to be doing this more than once ‘cos I haven’t got enough remover on the pad yano?

2). Hold the soaked cotton wool to your nails and wrap a bit of foil over the top…

It’s at this point you’re wondering if you’re actually the butt of a big fat joke.

Wait 5 minutes, no less… and then remove.

I can happily report – it works! As ridiculous as you may look with your tin foil tips, it saves a hell of a lot of effort and irritation.

Try it!  If nothing else, at least the aliens won’t get to your fingers.

Well, January wouldn’t have been January without the IMATS rolling into town.  Makeup artists, lovers and aficionados everywhere were checking out the wares and talent on display at Alexandra Palace.

I’m not gonna add the full posts here ‘cos there are just too many photos, but if you wanted to check them out, the links are:

IMATS London 2010 – In Pictures (Part 1)

and

IMATS London 2010 – In Pictures (Part 2)

I got the opportunity to unveil the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette to all you lovely UK ladies… and of course, didn’t shut up about said opportunity for at least…. oh ok, I’m STILL going on about it…

Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette – UK’s First Look – Sunday, January 24th, 2010

This is Part 1 of a 3 Part UD Alice Extravaganza!  Click here for Part 2 and Part 3!

After my not so subtle hint-dropping yesterday, I’m sure that most of you have figured out that I took delivery of Urban Decay’s heavily anticipated Alice in Wonderland Palette (yay!).

I’m feeling priviledged to have been chosen to ‘unveil’ this to you wonderful UK beauty addicts as only one sample box was released to the UK blogging community.  Forgive me just a teeny bit of smugness, but if it gets too much, feel free to slap me.  I’d do the same to you.

Anyway… I’m going to break the ‘unveiling’ into 3 posts… I’m not falsely modest and know that photos are what I do best.  So you can expect each post to be picture heavy (which I am hoping, is a good thing).  This first post will focus on that wonderful pop-up scene.  The artistry that’s gone into the palette is breathtaking and a large part of the overall appeal for many of us.

So, without further ado (or let’s be frank… rambling)… I bring you, Urban Decay’s Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows.

Open the palette to reveal a pop-up scene of Alice in the mushroom forest. Her “drink me” bottle discarded, she staggers past towering mushrooms, only to cross paths with a very peculiar, hookah-smoking caterpillar. A large mirror rests behind the scene – you feel as if you are transported into the film itself.

The Alice in Wonderland palette is due to be released in the UK on the 22nd February online with a store-wide release set for the 28th February.  It will be a Debenhams exclusive.

Finally, obviously feeling the post Christmas dry-roasted peanut diet was failing me… I had a few thoughts on image retouching that I simply couldn’t keep to myself.

Keeping the faith… – Monday, January 11th, 2010

…if you had any to begin with.

So, Proctor & Gamble endured a wrist slap recently with their Olay Definity Eye Illuminator advert catching the attention of the Advertising Standards Agency in the UK.

The advert features the iconic Twiggy, now in her 60s…

It contained a testimonial from Twiggy stating: “Olay is my secret to brighter-looking eyes”.

Proctor & Gamble had already withdrawn the ad before it came under scrutiny, stating that they’d reviewed the post-production techniques that had been used in the creation of the ad and had found the “minor retouching” around the model’s eyes to be inconsistent with their policies which led them to replace the original ad.

I do hope the digital artist got bitch slapped by P&G, I mean seriously… that’s not even good retouching.  If you’re gonna exagerrate the effectiveness of your product, fine… but at least stay within some realms of reality.

Olay Definity’s latest Anti-Aging Night Cream Ad…

Wait!  There’s too much character in that face, back to the graphics tablet retoucher man and erase those wrinkles, pores… infact, remove all skin texture completely while you’re at it! *whip crack*

On the whole, I don’t have a problem with digital retouching. I feel that I’m enlightened enough to appreciate that a retouched image represents a distorted reality and I don’t mind looking at idealised photographs appreciating society’s desire for aesthetics.  I mean, let’s face it… Twiggy (as beautiful as she is) in her natural state is gonna sell as many eye-brightening products as I am diet pills – she’s 60 years old for chrissakes.  I don’t feel conned by a little airbrushing… but where’s the god-damn subtlety gone?

Just because we’re all used to seeing these altered images, ain’t no reason for you to get all complacent about it Mr. Digital Artist…

Use it to make models/celebrities look their best, not to transform them into freakish parodies of the media’s eternal quest for unattainable cartoonish perfection.

Ahhh… the lovely Demi, looking younger than Leila.

Hahhhahahaa!  Dude, Digital Retouching for Dummies… a book with your name on it.

As an advertising tool, I dig it… but 2009 saw it getting kinda out of control and almost self-referential in it’s absurdness.

What are your thoughts on airbrushing? Against it? A necessary evil?

Ooooh It’s nearly my blogiversary! *gets the candle out*

December passed me by in a bit of a flash.  Aside from growing fat(ter) on Quality Streets and Dry Roasted Peanuts, Christmas got cancelled thanks to a sick baby.  It sucked to be me, violins please!

One great thing to come out of that rotten old month was my discovery of Inglot!

Inglot Freedom Eyeshadow Palette – Thursday, December 31st, 2009

When I was in London earlier in the month I headed over to the huge Westfield to throw myself on the makeup.

I was itching to check out the Inglot store that I remembered hearing about on some forums when Westfield first opened.  And here it is! (please excuse the mobile phone pics)

Check out the range of eyeshadows:

and nail polishes:

Not forgetting the lipsticks…

It’s like an explosion in a Skittles factory no?

Beautiful!

Anyway… after that colour overload, I proceeded to choose myself a trio of eyeshadows to fill a small Pro Freedom Palette.  I went for the safe option (I know, boring!)

But aren’t they beautiful?

They’re ultra pigmented… incredibly smooth and I’ve embarked on a full-on love affair with them.

I can’t remember exactly how much I paid (argh! – can anyone help me out?)  I think it was around £14 for all 3 inc. the palette.

It’s called the Freedom System and you choose which shades you want the SA to put in.

The way I understood it is this…

You can choose from a Large Pro Palette (which hold the square shaped shadows, blushes and face powders – you can see the square shadows in my picture above).

or

You can choose from a Small Pro Palette which will hold the smaller eyeshadows (like mine), lipsticks and concealers etc…

Once you’ve chosen small or large… you can choose how many pans you want the palette to hold (I’m not sure of all the available choices).

You can also purchase items individually if you wish.

Hope that makes sense?!

The small shadows (to my eye) are the same size as MAC 26mm pans, but you get 1.8g of product in each pan compared to MAC’s 1.5g.

The range of colours is mind boggling, each with different finishes… I love me a bit of shimmer though!

I also bought a couple of lipsticks and will be back shortly with a post on those.

Have you tried Inglot? What say you?

I canvassed for opinions on these rather scary but fabulous looking talons…

Stiletto Nails… – Monday, December 14th, 2009

So um… Stiletto Nails…

Would you?

Nails like this generally polarise opinion.  I know some people genuinely feel repulsed by very long nails let alone pointy ones which leaves the rest of us clambering to book ourselves in with our nearest nail techs faster than it takes a lick of Seche Vite to dry.

Me? I’ve surprised myself by coming to the conclusion that I’m genuinely sat on the fence over this one.

I’m drawn to them as art… would I though?  Probably not.

Ohhhh wait, I dunno though… Mr. L would shit his pants if I trundled into the bedroom rocking those tips.  And that my lovelies, would make it *totally* worth it.

Finally, some fond memories from a rather wonderful night out…

Aussie Event – Girls Night Out – 3/12/2009 – Friday, December 11th, 2009

The third and final event for us lucky Aussie Angels (can I just keep calling myself that forever?) went off with a bang last Thursday night.

We were invited up to London to sample the capital’s nightlife.  Mahiki played host for the evening and the venue didn’t disappoint.  A tiki-esque hideout in the heart of Mayfair, Mahiki ticks all the right boxes.

My friend Vicky and I jumped on the train congratulating each other on how lightly we’d managed to pack for a night away… infact we were congratulating each other so vigorously talking so much that we very nearly got left on the platform.

Arriving in London with little time to spare, we headed straight for the Hilton at Kensington Olympia where Aussie had generously put us up for the night.  I managed to check us in without getting escorted off the premises for being a pair of scruffy oiks and we settled into our room to get ready for the festivities ahead!

Despite best intentions, we still managed to be late.  Vicky has always been the laid back one in our friendship.  Me? Well I was running round in full-on mentalist mode, arms in the air like a certain white rabbit out of Alice in Wonderland with echoes of “late, late! we’re going to be late!” reverberating around the room.

“Relax”. says Vicky, “You are so uncool”.  Like I need telling.

I felt a 100x better when we got on the tube at Olympia and met up with Hayles and Zoe who were also staying at the hotel and heading to the Aussie event.  If you can’t avoid being late… find as many people as possible who are also late and hide behind them.  It’s a philosophy I’m proud to call my own.

We were greeted at the club by a photographer (who I somehow managed to resist asking nerdy camera questions, I was *sorely* tempted to ask for some flash bouncing tips) and the lovely Emma from 1000heads.

We were lead downstairs into the cavernous depths of Mahiki and emerged blinking into a Polynesian paradise!  I was given a little black box which when opened revealed some lovely makeup goodies, the inimitable Aussie 3 Minute Miracle and a handbag hanger (I’m a little uncultured and had to be told what the hell it was before I embarrassed everybody by trying to pick my nose with it or something.)

Then it was Mojito time!! Followed by Pina Colada time!! Washed down with a couple of Mahiki Mai Tais and topped off with a Tiki Dick’s Super Space Martini.  By this time I’d forgotten how to pronounce my own name let alone the names of the cocktails.  Needless to say, they were very yummy and each one more enticing than the last.

Highlights of the evening? Semi-naked waiter – oh so tacky, and I’m absolutely not going to admit to perving.  (why have you put him down as a highlight then huh?)  Close-up magician – superbly charming and very talented, too much fun!  And treasure chests filled with an intoxicating mix of champagne, rum and a brandy and peach liqueur.

It was brilliant to be able to catch up with old friends and meet some friendly new faces too!

Alas, all good things must come to an end and as the night drew to a close the exertions of the day were catching up with me.  I bid my friends (new and old) adieu and headed back to the hotel.

Waking up the next morning I wasn’t sure which hurt more, my head or my neck (crick)… here have a photo.  If nothing else, it’s an advertisement for teetotalness.

The rest of the next day was spent shopping and mooching around town.  But I’ll tell you more about that in another post!

Credit for some of the photos goes to Sam and Zoe – I can’t seem to get mine off Vicky’s mobile – argh!

November was November…. kinda drizzly, kinda grey and pretty darn cold… but there were a few things in the beauty world that were warming my heart.

I fell in love with Barielle for one…

NOTD – Barielle Falling Star – Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

So, I’m not a big glitter fan.  I’m really not.  I don’t mind how it looks (as long as it’s not rainbow coloured)… but the thought of the removal process makes me want to stick forks in my eyes.

Barielle sent me a couple of shades for review, and I may have physically shuddered in a glitter-induced repulsion when I saw this one.

I mean look…. it’s chunky!

However, the polish itself is a beautiful mid-toned blue, infact it’s quite an unusual combination… I’ve never seen blue and copper combined like this in a polish.  Website describes it as gold, but it’s definitely a more rose gold/coppery colour.

I am *so* on a blue kick since that George beauty.  And this Barielle shade is doing nothing to quench those flames!  B-e-a-utiful!

I don’t like the rough feeling that glitter polishes leave and despite a top coat… my mani still felt bumpy but there’s no denying the blue/copper combination works.

I’ve waited ’till removal before writing up this post, and removal was just as horrible as I had anticipated… in the end, I poured some polish remover into the cap of the bottle and soaked each finger individually before I developed RSI from all the wiping.

These Barielle’s are probably some of the longest-wearing polishes I’ve used.  6 days in with this one and I have absolutely no tip wear.  Application was fine, with no issues at all.  I don’t know if glitter polishes tend to have more or less issue with application than normal?  But this was good.

I dazzled with the Ben Nye Lumiere Palette…

Ben Nye Lumiere Palette First Look & Swatches – Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Screw my schedule, let’s have some eye candy!

The shadows are huge!  So although it’s expensive… you do get a lot of product for your money.

Here’s some individual shots of each pan…

Finally, check out the rich pigmentation in some skin swatches…

I am completely in love with this palette and would happily go so far as to say that it’s my favourite thing I’ve bought all year!  Which is quite an accolade considering it’s mid-November…

…and I discovered a rather beautiful lipstick:

Helena Rubinstein Stellars Showlights Lipstick – Sunday, November 15th, 2009

Hello my pretty!

I discovered her hiding under a pile of soaps at my local T.K. Maxx… let me introduce you to “Bubble Pink” as we shall call her from now on.

Seriously, have you ever seen a more outrageously girly lipstick in your life?

I know… that’s almost indecent.  Glitter bomb on a stick.  A pink stick.

This really shouldn’t work for anyone over the age of 7.  And it definitely shouldn’t work for a lady knocking on the door of 30 (by ‘knocking’ I mean ‘ungracefully sprinting in the opposite direction of’).

So does it work?

Ohhhhh yes.

The topmost layer of glitter is an overspray… after the first application it’s a lot more subtle as you can see above.  The pink is a beautiful soft bubblegum pink which is neither too warm, nor too cool.  The shimmer (whilst apparent) doesn’t overpower nor look frosty.  It’s just ‘glitters’.

I was most taken aback by the texture… yes, there’s a teeny bit of gritiness… but nothing compared to what I expected considering how packed full of sparkle it is.  I find it actually quite moisturising and my teeth aren’t set on edge every time I press my lips together.

Whilst wearing this, be sure to kiss lots of people for whom glitter prints would be highly inappropriate.

I want to be buried wearing this lipstick.

And if you think it’s too shimmery for me… I can’t hear you *la la la laalalala*.

I’m hoping this November will be as glitzy!

I bitched and whinged about the merits of buying NYX in the US as opposed to the UK, I wonder if my original sums are still at all valid?

Buying NYX in the US vs. the UK – Saturday, October 24th, 2009

UPDATE 13/11/2009

SmartBeautyShop have now revised their shipping prices to be based on weight.

Up to 100g will cost £1.78, over 400g: £2.64 and so on.

Good stuff SmartBeautyShop!

I’ve had a few emails and DMs on Twitter with regards to buying NYX Cosmetics in the US.  I’m aware that NYX is starting to be more readily available in the UK at sites such as SmartBeautyShop which is fantastic!  No more worries about import duty, long shipping times etc…

but…

Let me give you a little run down of the costs involved here…

SmartBeautyShop doesn’t have the Round Lipglosses in stock, so I’ll exclude that item from both baskets.

Let’s do Cherry Culture first:

That’s my shopping list (minus the lipgloss).  The exchange rate conversion is correct as of 24/10/2009 and I’ve actually rounded *up* the values to the nearest 5 pence. E.g. The Jumbo Eyeshadow was actually £1.82

I haven’t included it in the shopping list total, but I also used a 20% discount code… so my eventual bill was closer to £22.

Now whilst I’m happy to pay Import Duty… I object to paying Royal Mail an £8 handling fee ontop of this, so I endeavour to avoid crossing the Import Duty threshold which is £18.

My goods order (inc. lipgloss and discount code) came to: £16.10 so I had a clear margin for exchange rate fluctuation.  You don’t include the cost of shipping in the £18 calculation… however, HMRC will include the cost of shipping in calculating the duty to be paid by you if your order value exceeds £18.  Does that make sense?  It confuses the hell out of me!

Ok, now that we’re all completely confudgeulated… let’s take the simpler route and shop for NYX in the UK!

Hoorah!

Um..

£56.95?

*double checks*

Um…

Are you freakin’ kidding me?

No, no there it is… 4 lippies, 6 eyeshadows and a Jumbo Pencil… oh and shipping.

Wait a minute? £7.50 for Royal Mail Inland postage?

But that’s more expensive than Cherry Culture all the way from the US?  And I personally consider Cherry Culture to be a little pricey on shipping!

Now, I do understand that SmartBeautyShop et al have to mark prices up… of course they do!  They’re importing from the US, they’re the middle men… they have overheads that are much greater than Cherry Culture’s.

They can charge what they want… but you won’t see me buying NYX in the UK anytime soon that’s for sure.

Confusion over international shipping or not… there’s no way I’m gonna justify paying over double for the simplicity of shopping this side of the pond.

How about you?  Will you be buying NYX in the UK now that it’s becoming more available?  Or saving up your pennies for US orders?

I went all multi-coloured to show off some new nail polishes!

NOTD – Courtesy of LionLovingTiger… – Saturday, October 17th, 2009

…my new Nails Inc. polishes!

I won these in LionLovingTiger’s most fabulous giveaway

Look!

L-R: Victoria, Brook Street, Pelham Crescent, London Nights, Tate

5 new Nail Polishes… 5 nails… it had to be done!

L-R: Same order as the photo above…

I’ve had a rocky start with Nails Inc. polishes.  I think that freebie I received with Instyle was a shocking bad advertisement for the Nails Inc. brand and nearly put me off trying any more.  I’m so glad I persisted now, they’ve become one of my favourite ranges.

Are there any brands that gave you a bad initial impression… only for you to grow to love them?

Do you even give brands second and third chances to impress you?

and I had a good old laugh at L’oreal’s expense…

L’oreal Paris True Match Roll On / Roller Foundation – Review – Friday, October 16th, 2009

I was excited to finally get the chance to try out my new L’oreal Paris True Match Roll On / Roller Foundation.  £12.99 you know! Not cheap for high street, it better not piss me off too much…

Packaging is quite nice, fairly sturdy, sleek(ish) and nice and compact.

On the left is the pan of cream foundation and over on the right is the sponge roller we’re going to be using for application.

You can better judge the size of the roller now, it’s actually easy to hold despite it’s small size thanks to some well-designed dips and ridges on the plastic handle.

You (and I) have to admit… this is all pretty cute so far!  Little compacts, Dinky rollers…  Look! I’m gonna paint my face! *squeal*

Uh oh, I’m noticing a problem… the product is building up unevenly on the roller.  The far edge has a real good coating whilst the rest of the roller remains void of product.

After a bit of swiping, direction changing and weight shifting the roller is more evenly covered… but there is still a bias towards that far edge.  Will this affect application?

Primed and ready for action!

Introducing you to my makeup-less face, not even a smudge of brow powder!

Here we go…

Look! I have a go faster stripe!

Right, as suspected… not a colour match.  Far too warm and a couple of shades too dark aswell.  I’ve been tangoed.

That’s terrible.  This is the lightest shade that L’oreal are offering (in this country at least) for their True Match Roll On Foundation.

Ironic isn’t it… “True Match”… *mutters something unrepeatable*

With all the money and technology that’s gone into this product – why on earth did L’oreal make the shade range so limited?  I *know* I’m pale… but I’m not Nicola Roberts pale, I see many people walking about even more see-thru than I am.  That’s a big chunk of the population not being catered for, and I’m willing to bet the story is the same for those on the other end of the spectrum aswell.

Anyway, let’s roller on… *hah! geddit*

One half done (your right).

The actual coverage is pretty heavyweight.  Don’t be getting this if you’re looking for sheer -> medium coverage ‘cos this is full on.

You wanna know about the application with that little roller don’t you?

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  Sure, it’s not gonna get anywhere near the inside corners of your eyes… but I didn’t have a problem around my nose.  The actual “roller” is slim enough to offer even coverage down the edge of the nose.

I also found it a speedy (if a little uncomfortable) process.  I blended with my fingers closer to my eyes and I even attempted closing my eyes and rollering in an up/down motion over my eyelids.  No, it didn’t work very well and yes, I looked really silly.

The finish is matte and looks a little deathmask-like to me (perhaps I’m not used to the heavier coverage).  I didn’t have any problems with streakiness or patchiness but when I touched my face 5 minutes later, my skin still felt tacky to the touch… it took nearly 20 minutes to dry fully.

Your final half n’ half (again, your right has the coverage).

What do you think?  The formula isn’t *so* bad… I did actually prefer it later in the day after it had had time to “fit” to my skin.

I’m torn… it’s not completely terrible, but it’s definitely a case of style over content and that poor shade selection…

I guess the easiest way to sum it up is thus…

Would I buy this again?

…Not even with your money.

“Innovation! One cannot be forever innovating. I want to create classics.” – Coco Chanel

In September, I extolled the virtues of my favourite quick cleanser (and I still love it lots!)…

Bioderma Crealine / Sensibio H2O Cleanser – Review – Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

So, this is it…

The Holy Grail of cleansers.. used by celebrities, models, MUA and now me.

Does it live up to the hype?

Actually it is pretty awesome.

However, let’s be clear – this ain’t some miracle “1 swipe all makeup gone” cleanser… which although tempting to imagine, is utter nonsense.  Infact, I don’t find it as effective on my eyes as my Boots Botanics eye makeup remover (the dual phase one) but let’s not forget that Bioderma is working it’s magic without the help of various oils.

This stuff is plain Jane. If it didn’t have a label on it announcing the contents – I could easily mistake it for half a litre of Evian.  It’s odourless and colourless with a texture just like water.

And this is where it’s greatest strength lies, it is incredibly gentle on the delicate eye area and does a good job at removing all sorts of makeup including waterproof mascara.  I still cleanse afterwards with water and whatever happens to be ”cleanser of the month” sitting by my sink… but this is just so handy to dip a q-tip into to neaten up your eyemakeup or lipline.

There’s gonna be someone out there who’s skin is sensitive to this stuff… but I’d be happy to bet they’re few and far between.  After cleansing, my skin feels clean, non-tacky, non-oily and surprisingly soothed and moisturised.  If I ever go camping or backpacking (heaven forbid) I’d make sure this was safely packed before I’d even think about packing knickers.

Bioderma have recently rebranded this from “Crealine” to “Sensibio” so if you’re after a bottle, make sure you look out for either name – they’re the same product.

You can purchase a 500ml bottle from the UK at LeGuideSante for a reasonable £8.45 however shipping is a prohibitive £6.50.  Better yet, bribe someone holidaying in France to look it up for you and bring it back as a pressie (like I did – fanks Mum!)

.

We all went on an Aussie adventure (yes, even Leila!)

.

My Aussie Adventure! – Monday, September 7th, 2009

I received a curious invitation a few weeks ago inviting me to take part in a 3 part Aussie event, the first involving a “Secret Silos Treasure Hunt”.  I was left feeling slightly confused by the invitation – but as a nerdy geocacher, there was simply no way I was going to be able to resist a ‘treasure hunt’.

Roll forward a couple of weeks and I received a strange purple envelope in the mail… upon opening it, I saw this:

There was also a solitary silver key rattling about in the bottom of the envelope… hmm, curiouser and curiouser!

Come Saturday morning, there was I, eager eyed and bushy tailed.  I dragged my husband and daughter down to the train station to come along with me for the day.  She’d never been to the “big smoke” before.

Here she is, looking like a little troll waiting for the train:

Upon arrival, I knew exactly where I was headed to find the Secret Silo.  A couple of years ago I’d had to make my way to The Strand to get a last minute visa for a trip to Sydney… so when we got off the train at Victoria, we marched straight to Australia House!

Here’s one for the fact fans, Australia House was the setting for Gringotts Bank in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – ooh! Didn’t know that did you?

As we rounded the corner, I saw a couple of silver trunks and a solitary figure suspiciously hanging about under the “Australia House” sign that you can see in the above pic.  I approached him cautiously incase I had got the location completely wrong, but when I saw the Aussie Roo logo on one of the trunks I gave him a big smile and waved my key about under his nose!

The suspicious man turned out to be a rather nice fellow called Tim, who chatted to me about the event whilst Leila tried to work her charms on him.

Using my mysterious silver key to open up the trunk, he pulled out this rather lovely (and big!) box which he said was full of some lovely goodies – woo hoo!

Before leaving, he took a piccie of me holding my ‘goodie box’ under the “Australia House” sign (I looked a complete state!)  Paul and Leila ran away when the camera was produced – scaredy cats!

After all that excitement and adventure we scooted off to Soho to get a coffee and do some window shopping before a very weary trio headed back home to Southampton on the train.

Once home, I was barely through the door before I was pulling off the cover and opening my Aussie goody box!

Ooh…

Aah… look!

Lovely things!

Lots of Miracle Moist (I already have a bottle of the shampoo, so know I lurve this stuff!), A mini bottle of the 3 Minute Miracle – I know this is cult, but I am ashamed to admit that I’ve never tried it – can’t wait to give it a go and you can expect a review soon! I also got a huge bottle of 3 Minute Miracle Frizz Remedy (will it tame my flyaways I wonder?)

Now, as if that weren’t enough.  There was also a £25 Topshop gift card lurking in the bottom of the box! Wowee!  I’ve already planned my shopping spree – thanks Aussie!  I believe some ladies were also lucky enough to get a £50 spa voucher!  But my box didn’t have one of those (boo!) so I’m not sure if they were prizes for being ‘first finders!’ I should have got my brood up earlier!

Last but not least, there were some little cards for me to hand out… so here we go, a virtual handing out!

YES, that means YOU! Go check it out!

Thanks for a super and VERY original afternoon Aussie!

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and I went all “Maybe She’s Born With It…” wish a trip to L’oreal HQ

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Maybelline Bloggers Event 10/09 – Saturday, September 12th, 2009

I’m not going to give a blow by blow account of the evening as this will probably be the 27th recap of the event you’ve read on various blogs over the past 24hours, and they’d all be far better than mine.  Instead I will simply say that I had a lovely time, met lots of lovely people, got lots of lovely makeup and learnt a little bit more about one of the world’s biggest cosmetic brands.

What I want to do instead, is share a few pictures from the evening and finish off with a FOTD styled entirely with the Maybelline products I received and some very quick thoughts on each product.

haha! look at that saddo pointing at the L’oreal sign, what a mupp….oh.

One of the motivations for the blogger event was to demonstrate and promote 2 of Maybelline’s latest product releases: Pulse Perfection Mascara (new to me!) and Color Sensational Lipsticks (which I’m already a big fan of).  These deserve posts of their own, so you can expect some kind of review coming up in the next couple of weeks.

I also wanted to mention the friendliness of everyone involved in the organisation of the event.  It was heart-warming to see the Maybelline ladies so interested in our obsessive little world of beauty blogging, they seemed to be both fascinated and bemused by our community and how we all know one-another through the written medium, but meet up in real life and treat each other like long lost buds!  It was clear that they were enthusiastic for the brand and worked hard to explain and demonstrate the products.  Nothing was too much trouble.  So thanks Katie (x2 – one of which I baby bored to death, sorry!) and Charlotte (great name) for such an engaging brand experience.  Also, a big thanks to Natalie at HeadstreamPR for all her hard work, answering stupid questions and being a fab Saints fan (ok, so not relevant… but it SO is, shutup).

So, on to my Maybelline FOTD!

I’m not naked, honest.

She definitely wasn’t born with it *cough*.

Here’s the products used:

Face:
~ Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation in Light Porcelain (Really love the feel of this on the skin & a nice skintone match – average longevity… finish was beautifully soft and smooth and I can’t stop touching my face – spots for me tomorrow!)
~ Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer (Nice match for my skin, works under eye without creasing – doesn’t give amazing blemish coverage though.)
~ Maybelline Expertwear Blush in Rose (Ha! Nearly didn’t bother opening this as I thought it would totally suck and I was really rather surprised.. shade was lovely on, a great matte blush which builds pigmentation nicely on my ultra pale skin for a subtle sweep of colour).

Eyes:
~ Maybelline Eyecolour Express in Vintage Rose (I REALLY like this, so easy for on the go.. it’s something I would normally totally turn my nose up, so I’m very happy to have received this to try.)
~ Maybelline Eyestudio Mono in Black Metal (blends much more easily than I thought it would, great with a swipe of UDPP underneath)
~ Maybelline Line Definer (well pigmented with a lovely firm but non-scratchy applicator.  Unfortunately, my pen is leaking  badly, so I’ve had to bin it.)
~ Maybelline Kohl Express (very soft, beautifully pigmented, average longevity)
~ Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara (hate the packaging; love, love the product!)

Lips:
~ Maybelline Superstay Color in Red Passion (Sian already told me I’d love this, she was RIGHT!) Awesome pigmentation, look at that glossy red! As long lasting as you’d want without fading unevenly.  It is still drying though… benchmarks: Less drying than Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick, more drying than GOSH Everlasting Lips.

I shall definitely be adding The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara to my mascara series for further review and I’ll be testing the foundation more before passing final judgement.  I also have another Superstay Lip Colour in my stash and I really want to try some of the more pinky or nude shades (26 shades in total!).. so stand by for further posts on those too!

OK, so about my FOTD (or perhaps FOTN is more apt.) I chose a slightly more dramatic FOTD (for me, anyway) because I’ve been noticing that Maybelline products are pushing the envelope more than ever in terms of their reputation as just another high street/drugstore brand for cosmephobes* (that word is in the dictionary, go look it up if you don’t believe me).

You only need to look at some of the recent releases to draw this conclusion, which is why I tried for something that would not be particularly work or school-safe… in essence, a look that you’d usually use your ‘best’ makeup to achieve instead of the high-street brands.  Well, looksee… this high street brand is keeping up admirably!

None of the products gave me application difficulties (unless you count my leaky eyeliner) and all powders blended seamlessly.  The effect is slightly more smoky than the photos suggest and I’m still wondering what the postman thought of me rocking this look as I opened the door early this morning burp cloth in one hand, baby in the other… pair of fluffy slippers completing the ensemble.

I lastly want to give a quick shout out to the lovely ladies who went shopping with me yesterday afternoon… we had a neat time in Charles Fox, MAC, Shu Uemura, Space NK et al… perfect enablers… each and every one of them!  Sian, Sophie, Lydia and Leanne – thank you for being so much fun!

* cosmephobe – ok, I lied,  Did you really try look it up? Go on, tell me! Did you really? I would be so embarrassed if I was you right now…

Hope I’m no boring you too much with these lookbacks!  It’s really hard to pick just 3 from a month when I post so much!

In August I went on holiday for the first time with the baby, got my hair chopped short and fell in love with my new Ted Baker specs, showing off the rest while I was at it!  My first (and probably last) fashion related post… if you can call it fashion?!

Gorgeous Goggles! – Friday, August 21st, 2009

I shamelessly stole this post from the fabulous LionLovingTiger, go check out her blog if you haven’t done so already!

About a year ago I went for an eye test as I realised that I couldn’t read the Sky EPG without squinting.  The optician told me that my eyesight had deteriorated a little and that I wasn’t to drive without sorting myself out with some contacts.  “Contacts, schmontacts” said I, and off I skipped to find myself the baddest face furniture I could lay my grubby little hands on!

I’ve always loved glasses (strange girl that I am) but when my eyesight was 20:20, I could never bring myself to buy a set of frames to put blank lenses in… I’m not quite twattish enough for that kind of nonsense.  So I was actually pretty excited to be buying some specs!

My first pair (and probably still my faves) are these Missoni lovelies.  I think I paid around £50 in the sale for the frames.

My next purchase was lust at first sight, I’d tried these on a few times…loved them, but winced everytime I looked at the price tag – then they became like “SO last season” and disappeared from the shops…. fast forward a few months and I found a girl selling her old pair on eBay.  I very nearly peed myself with excitement when the auction ended and they were mine!

My most recent pair are a Ted Baker offering.  Lurve these, but I haven’t got round to ordering lenses for them yet as I’m still too busy loving my Missoni and Chanels and there’s only so many opportunities to wear them considering I only really need them for driving.

Group Photo!

Thanks for indulging me in my shameless showing off of my lovely glasses!  Anyone else sporting gorgeous eyewear?  Show me/Tell me!

I squeezed out 40 posts in August, the hot weather (what hot weather?) must have gotten to me…

I also asked who your beauty icons were…

Who’s your Beauty Icon? – Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

I have a few: Debbie Harry, Anna Karina & Edie Sedgwick but here’s my fav:

Jean Seberg is incredibly beautiful with her trademark pixie cut and simple eyeliner-oriented makeup – just lovely!

Who’s your beauty icons, past or present?

Finally… I started sharing my love for cleansing oils…

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil vs. Shiseido Perfect Oil – Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Since discovering cleansing oils about a year ago, I couldn’t go back to life without them.  I didn’t believe it could ever be possible to remove makeup so effortlessly and quickly.  If you’ve never tried including a cleansing oil as part of your beauty routine – you must.

My benchmark cleansing oil is DHC’s Deep Cleansing Oil.  This was my first foray into oils and I instantly fell in love.  One thing that I have never loved however, is the price.  At £16 + £3.95 shipping from the DHC website, this is venturing very closely into a price range that I’m not happy to pay.

So come, join me in my quest to find a purse-friendly alternative…

I have already blogged about the disaster that is Smashbox’s Cleansing Oil (thankfully now discontinued, although I still have my full bottle sitting in my bathroom cabinet *just bin it already*)

Next on my list was Shiseido’s Perfect Oil thanks to a recommendation by Kathi from Lotus Palace whose opinions on all products Japanese and Korean I hold in high esteem.

Let’s have a couple of quick fire comparisons:

Packaging… Yeah, Shiseido wins this one easy… simply prettier to sit on your shelf, plus it comes with a little ‘clip’ (not pictured) to put round the neck of the bottle to avoid the pump being mistakenly depressed whilst travelling – you do NOT want this shit leaking all over your holiday clothes!

The Shiseido oil has a fairly pleasant fragrance whilst the DHC smells like chip fat.

Shiseido’s formula is thin and watery compared to DHC’s heavier, oilier formula.   A lot of people would prefer Shiseido’s easy to spread formula I would imagine, but not me!  I actually prefer the heavier, oilier texture of the DHC as it feels so lovely to massage into my skin.

They perform equally brilliantly at shifting the makeup.  Heavy foundation?  ”No problem!”  Waterproof mascara?  “Lemme at it!” – so yes, top marks for both on that score.

Shiseido easily triumphs with regards to cost… it literally piddles all over DHC.  I paid £8.50 for a 150ml bottle on eBay, compared to nearly £20 for DHC’s 200ml.  Also, because the Shiseido spreads so easily – I find that unless my makeup is particularly heavy, I can get away with using only 1 pump each time.

However, there is one thing that sets them apart and unfortunately it makes the Shiseido a big fat fail for me.

Emulsification people, I cannot stress the greatness of DHC’s emulsifying abilities!  This thick, slightly smelly but extremely effective oil gently foams on contact with water before melting entirely leaving my face clean and residue free.  It doesn’t stick to my cloths, the basin or my skin.  I always ‘double cleanse’ with a mild soap afterwards out of habit, but when using the DHC oil, it wouldn’t bother me if for some reason I couldn’t.

The Shiseido just can’t compete.  It’s not THAT far off… It’s not a complete loser like the Smashbox, but it does leave a slight residue and I can feel an oiliness on my hands which doesn’t disappear until I’ve 2nd cleansed.  It also means that I have to scrub the sink after EVERY use or my husband calls me a minger for leaving the sink scummy. (Like he can talk with all those beardy little hairs he leaves behind after shaving, and he’s SO showing his age with that particular term of ‘endearment’… ).

I digress…

In conclusion, I won’t be repurchasing the Shiseido… but I also still refuse to spend £20 on a cleansing oil, so I need to hunt down my next contender!

This is a two-parter lookback, because I liked the juxtaposition of both posts…

Part 1, I dwell on getting a little bit older…

Age appropriate cosmetics – Should we tone it down? – Friday, July 17th, 2009

So, I’ve been thinking…

My latest FOTD was quite bright (for me), it’s my 28th birthday today and I’m someone’s Mum.

Should I start being more aware of my age when it comes to cosmetics?

I currently don’t give it much thought.  It’s just not something that inhabits my radar when shopping.

Perhaps it should be?  I mean, loads of factors influence my purchasing decisions: skintone, seasonal trends, cost, if something is work appropriate/occasion appropriate etc…  But I have never questioned myself on whether I might perhaps be a little too mature to wear that sparkle infused lip gloss.

I’m not the kind of person to bathe myself in glitter, but I do find myself more drawn to shimmer than matte.  It might not have the sophistication of matte, but ooh look! pretty!…

I also spent most of my childhood rubbing my eyes.  Why my eyes always itched and why no-one took me to a doctor to get drops I’ll never know but anyway, I digress, where was I?  Oh yes, Consequently, my eyelids aren’t particularly smooth.  They’re quite creased, which probably isn’t going to look good combined with increasing wrinkles.   Throw in some shimmer eyeshadows and it’s probably not the best look past the age of 30.  That’s not to say it’ll look THAT bad, but it’s just not going to be the best way to draw attention to my features.

I have a confession.  I own a rather pretty NYX dark red glitter polish.  When it came in the post, I ooh’ed and ahh’ed over it, twirling the bottle between my fingers and making my husband agree with me at least 5 times a day that it was the sparkliest, prettiest polish he had ever seen…

I wore it once, and honestly… it made me feel massively self-conscious.  I took Leila to the surgery to get weighed and I hid my nails convinced they’d snatch my daughter off me citing the reason that I obviously wasn’t emotionally mature enough to care for a baby if at the age of 28, I was still painting my nails with red glitter.

Please tell me that I’m not the only one who occasionally thinks this when indulging in a bit of sparkle or a lovely bright colour?

The whole thought of having to consider age as a factor when shopping for cosmetics is quite frankly, depressing.

Youth, as they say – is most definitely wasted on the young.

Now please excuse me, I’m off to play with my Dazzle Dusts and Opi Brights.

…and then a few days later, I obviously think screw it when I enter the lovely Tali’s contest (gosh, I kinda miss my long hair too!)

Entry for Tali’s Brother’s Grimm contest! – Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

I had a go at entering Tali’s fantastic contest over at The Gloss Goss which closes tonight, so get your entries in quick!

I was inspired by the sweetie house in Hansel and Gretel and I’m representing the wicked witch portraying herself as innocent, enticing and friendly – just before revealing her true identity (and intentions) to the 2 hapless children.

Erm, I hope that 3rd one isn’t porno lolly – it was supposed to suggest a hint of the witch’s true intentions!

Products I used:

Good luck if you’re entering!